Kai NRG Posted October 13, 2014 Fire up the Engines! Introduction: January 2013 saw six new Ninjago sets featuring a new type of Ninja suit and the stone army! Let's check out the smallest set of the line today; Kai's Fire Mech, a fiery looking robot, all geared up and ready to go! With two minifigures (Kai and a stone army warrior), 102 pieces for $9.99, this set is an excellent introduction to the Ninjago theme! Product Details: Name: Kai's Fire Mech Number: #70500 Theme: Ninjago Year: 2013 Pieces: 102 Minifigures: 2 Price: USD $9.99 Sources: Brickset, LEGO Shop@Home Paper Contents (Instructions and Box): The box is a fair size, and has a nice background of rock and light blue sky which contrasts well with the bright green and gold of the top and bottom banner. The Mech is shown in a well posed stance, although I'm afraid it would be extremely difficult to balance the stone warrior in such a fashion! Below are the front, sides, and back of the box (showcasing the possibility of the Mech as well as the fire blade), respectively: (Click for a larger view:) The instructions feature the same graphics as the box but without as much information; just the set number: A (more or less) random page: The inventory and a picture of the completed build: On the next page and on the back we get some LEGO advertisement, geared toward the online Ninjago site, the Club magazine, and the traditional back page advertisement. And, last but not least, the Dreaded Sticker Sheet (DSS) - after the removal of all but one sticker, that is. Fortunately the sheet is not that big here, and the stickers do all add to the build. I didn't have much trouble putting them on straight but then I don't generally have problems with that. The Minifigures: As is typical with ten dollar sets, this one includes two minifigures - Kai in a new outfit which many fans have designated "Kimono" (though it seems there is no official name or at best, ZX), and a little midget stone warrior, complete with a crossbow, red quiver, and a red straw hat! Both have back printing, however since the stone warrior's is just a continuation of the front lined gray it is not pictured below. Kai (back and front): The Stone Warrior: The Build: I personally found the build fairly enjoyable (though the arms and legs were a bit repetitive) and certainly fast. I was building in the back seat of a car so that might have made a difference, but it's certainly a neat little set that uses SNOT (Studs Not On Top) techniques pretty well to give it both smoothness and sturdiness. Anyway, the pieces that caught my attention were the flat golden studs and the cheese slope (because I didn't have any of the former and only a very few of the latter), the fire blade - in particular the bottom telescope piece as it's in more of a metallic gold rather than warm gold - and the shorter and longer L plates. After finishing up the build, the extra pieces were a flat golden stud, golden cheese slope, black clip, red 1x1 stud, and, rather to my surprise, an extra golden Katana. The Mech itself has an appealing color scheme and is quite sturdy. The "shoulders" in particular struck me as a good piece use, and the build is very pose-able (as I will be illustrating...). The blaster does look a bit blunt, and I'm not a huge fan of the sudden jump from the body to the shoulders (I, in fact, modified that myself). Front and Back: Can a Fire Mech do a headstand? On one hand? You bet! I'm not quite sure how Kai is liking that position though... There are a couple of other neat details to the Mech that add to the experience. For one thing, the Mech bears several resemblances to the Samurai Mech - though more in color than in shape - and they complement each other well. The second nice detail is that the Mech actually attaches to Cole's Earth Driller. Admittedly not quite in such a small package as it did in the show, still it was an interesting surprise (credit goes to whoever it was that mentioned this in the Ninjago thread, I can't remember who but I didn't come up with it on my own!). Here's how it's done: Ready for the road! Conclusion: Playability: 9/10 - The Mech is sturdy, very poseable, and provides plenty of play potential! Design: 7/10 - As I mentioned the width jump from the shoulders to the body is a bit annoying, and probably the major flaw in the build for me. Other than that though, the colors complement each other well, and the SNOT works very well. Minifigures: 9/10 - I really like the way Kai looks in his new outfit, and the back printing just adds to it! Plus it's all very sharp and clear. The stone warrior also has a nice torso print. I only wish he had something better than a crossbow (or in a different color) and it's too bad LEGO doesn't do short leg printing... Price: 8.5/10 - With 102 pieces it hits the 10 piece per dollar ratio fairly on the head, and though I don't find the robotic style pieces useful for my type of MOCing (My Own Creationing), some of the others will (or have!) come in handy. Overall: 8.5/10 - All things considered, Kai's Mech is an excellent little set, with an eye-catching color scheme and an appealing couple of figures. Given that it's a Mech, a lot of poseability is expected, and the final build doesn't disappoint! The building experience is about what one would expect, and the Mech's ability to attach to Cole's driller is the icing on the cake. The Ninjago nut in me would probably have told me to get it anyways, but even just as a LEGO fan, it's a great little set! And that concludes our look at Kai's Fire Mech! Until next time, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deraven Posted October 14, 2014 OK, I'm not all that in to Ninjago, but I think both this little mech and the Earth Driller are great sets at very attractive price points... but I had no idea they actually worked together reasonably well like that. My son is going to love seeing this! Nice review with solid photos, by the way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
samurai-turtle Posted October 14, 2014 As another person that did not know the two sets could link-up it is a nice surprise. (Of course I never watched the show.) I do think the set is a good one to MOD, as I seen it get used for other themes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cagast Posted October 20, 2014 Although i have both sets I never noticed that they can connect. This is like Thunder Raider and Earth Mech. Good review Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted October 21, 2014 Thanks guys! The connection was a nice surprise for me as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PromocjaLego Posted October 22, 2014 In this set I like only minifigures, and Good review. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted October 30, 2014 In this set I like only minifigures, and Good review. Thanks! The minifigures are certainly an important part of the set! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darthzane321 Posted August 18, 2015 Awesome set highly recommended :thumbup: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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